By Karyn Bowman
St. Anne

During the Christmas season, there are two movies that seem to get the most pay on TV – “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Story.” Both are movies that can be enjoyed by the whole family, although I think more kids than adults prefer the first choice.

Both movies are about dreams and hopes with enough Christmas cheer to make us smile and laugh by the end, maybe even shed a tear or two.

But as I have gotten older I have come to realize that perhaps “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a man’s reflection on his life so far and his grief for what he wanted and could not have. George Bailey stayed home when he father died and did not go off to college. He watched others leave and become the success story he wanted to be, including his younger brother.

But then there is the other half of the message – bloom where you are planted. Perhaps you think you are stuck but, without even knowing it, you can effect the lives of an entire town. One person can change hundreds of lives for the better right in their own back yard.

Is that still a dream in this day and age, especially as this county looks at decreased opportunities ? Maybe. But I think it is a dream people want to believe in.

The second movie is a memoir of Christmas way back when. The exacts are hard to tell although some experts figure it to be anywhere from 1939-1946. That is from the age of the family car, the L’il Orphan Annie decoder ring and a baseball reference.

The story is about a boy who wishes for a BB Gun, a very specific BB Gun for Christmas. But everyone keeps telling him he will shoot his eye out. Here we see Ralphie’s life in the run-up to Christmas; The bullying, Flick getting double dog dared to put his tongue on a metal pole, the trek for a tree, the unexpected swear, the pummeling of said bully.

But then Christmas comes and with it some funny an some great presents. And who can forget the scene in the Chinese restaurant. The movie makes us smile and laugh and hope that our children are surrounded by that much love.

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What’s your favorite Christmas movie and why? Leave a comment below.

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This article first appeared in the St. Anne Record Press.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 10:08 am and is filed under Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.